The Best Airplane Poems

A a big A little a
What words start with the letter A
Alligator, Airplane, Apple
The alligator sneaked into the airplane to eat an apple. Aa Aa Aa
B b big B little b
What words start with the letter B
Butterfly, Boy, Banana
A beautiful butterfly landed on the boy ’s nose while he ate a banana. Bb Bb Bb
C c big C little c
What words start with the letter C
Caterpillar, Candy, Car
I ate my sour caterpillar candy in the car. Cc Cc Cc
D d big D little d
What words start with the letter D
Dog, Doll, Donkey
The dog took off with my doll with the donkey chasing him. Dd Dd Dd
E e big E little e
What words start with the letter E
Elephant, Ear, Eye
The elephant touched his ear and eye with his trunk. Ee Ee Ee
F f big F little f
What words start with the letter F
Fish, Flower, Frog
The frog sat on the lily flower while the fish swam around the pond. Ff Ff Ff
G g big G little g
What words start with the letter G
Goat, Giraffe, Grasshopper
Billy goat runs and jumps on the giraffe’s back to chase the grasshopper. Gg Gg Gg
H h big H little h
What words start with the letter H
Hippopotamus, Heart, Hat
Harry the hippopotamus who has a big heart, wears his favorite hat. Hh Hh Hh
I i big I little i
What words start with the letter I
Inchworm, Iron, Ice cream
The inchworm stayed away because the iron was hot and the ice cream was cold. Ii Ii Ii
J j big J little j
What words start with the letter J
Jacket, Jeep, Jelly
I left my jacket in the jeep while I ate my jelly sandwich. Jj Jj Jj
K k big K little k
What words start with the letter K
Kangaroo, Key, Kitten
Lulu the kangaroo wore a key on a chain around her neck while she carried the kitten in her pouch. Kk Kk Kk
L i big L little l
What words start with the letter L
Lizard, Ladybug, Lego
Charlie the lizard stops to see the ladybug climb up the Lego. Ll Ll Ll
M m big M little m
What words start with the letter M
Monkey, Mouse, Moon
The monkey and mouse sitting on a tree limb together looking at the man on the moon. Mm Mm Mm
N n big N little n
What words start with the letter N
Nose, Nest, Nut
Nancy the squirrel put her nose near the nest to smell the nut at the bottom. Nn Nn Nn
O o big O little o
What words start with the letter O
Ostrich, Orange, Owl
The ostrich saw the orange and ran over and swallow it so he didn’t have to share with the owl. Oo Oo Oo
P p big P little p
What words start with the letter P
Pig, Pillow, Pumpkin
Piggy the pig lies on the pillow while he throws the pumpkin up in the air. Pp Pp Pp
Q q big Q little q
What words start with the letter Q
Queen, Quarter, Quail
The Queen of hearts threw a quarter in the air and a quail flew by and caught it. Qq Qq Qq
R r big R little r
What words start with the letter R
Rabbit, Roster, Rocket
The rabbit and the rooster took a rocket ride to visit the moon. Rr Rr Rr
S s big S little s
What words start with the letter S
Sun, Shovel, Snowman
The children played out in the sun using a shovel to make a snowman. Ss Ss Ss
T t big T little t
What words start with the letter T
Ticket, Table, Train
I left the ticket on the table for the train ride. Tt Tt Tt
U u big U little u
What words start with the letter U
Unicorn, Umbrella, Unicycle
The unicorn held an umbrella over his head so he wouldn’t get wet in the rain while riding his unicycle. Uu Uu Uu
V big V little v
What words start with the letter V
Violin, Vegetables, Vase
The musician played his violin as he watched the vegetables grow in the vase. Vv Vv
Vv
W w big W little w
What words start with the letter W
Watch, Watermelon, Wagon,
Watson looked at his watch to see if it was lunch time so he could eat his watermelon on the wagon. Ww Ww Ww
X x big X little x
What words start with the letter X
Xebec, Xylophone, X-ray,
The sailors on the xebec played the ping, ping, ping music on the xylophone while on their way to deliver an x-ray to Xavier. Xx Xx Xx
Y y big Y little y
What words start with the letter Y
Yarn, Yo-Yo, Yogurt
The yarn broke loose on the yo-yo when Billy was doing a trick and it flew into the yogurt. Yy Yy Yy
Z z big Z little z
What words start with the letter Z
Zebra, Zipper, Zoo
The zebra zipped up the zipper on his jacket when it got cold at the zoo. Zz Zz Zz
By: Eve Roper 8/19/2015

A is for Anton van Leeuwenhoek- in his simple microscope made him well-known,
B is for Benjamin Franklin who invented the electricity from the flow of electrons.
C is for Curie, Marie -a woman known by her theory of radioactivity,
D is for Dalton ,John -a meteorologist who developed an atomic theory.
E is for Einstein, Albert in his theory of relativity and mass-energy equivalence,
F is for Franz Boaz who studied human cultures through methods of science.
G is for Galieleo Galilei who worked also on telescope as astronomer and physicist,
H is for Heingrich Hertz who worked on the theory of lights and waves as scientist.
I is for Isaac Newton who discovered the law of motion and gravitation,
J is for John Logie Baird who invented one of our favorites, the television.
K is for Karlheinz Brandenburg who discovered MP3 tech for our music that pleases,
L is for Louie Pasteur worked on microbiology for causes and prevention of diseases.
M is for Michael Faraday who had successfully invented an electric motor,
N is for Neils Bohr who passed the milestone of the discovery of atomic structure.
O is for Orville Wright , a scientist who successfully invented an airplane,
P is for Paul Ehrlich who discovered chemotherapy for a cancer patient.
Q is for Quantum Cosmology by a scientist named Hawking, Stephen,
R is for Rudolf Virchow, a scientist who worked on the cell doctrine.
S is for Sigmund Freud who founded the Psychology of Unconsciousness,
T is for Thomas Edison whose invention on an electric bulb was a real success.
U is for Universal Law of Gravitation and Motion founded by Isaac Newton,
V is for Verbiest, Ferdinand-known on first car as his successful invention.
W is for William Thomson, an inventor of Temperature Scale for everyone,
X is for X-ray invented by a scientist named Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen.
Y is forYoung Philosopher like Aristotle, a student of Plato at age of eighteen,
Z is for Zoologist who studied marine invertebrates like Charles Darwin.
Knowing some of the world’s famous scientists and their inventions,
Make us smart children with all the agility of mind to take part in creations.
Feb. 10, 2013
This chain of couplets was also composed for a wall post in our science rm/lab for the kids to easily memorize or familiarize with some of the world’s famous scientists and philosophers in history. I also wish to thank my dearest friend, Andrea who encouraged me to write an ABC poem like this. Huh! It made me sweat a bit! ;))
Fourth Place
Contest: Z is for Zaria: An ABC Couplet
Judged: 4/16/2013
Sponsor; Poet Cyndi Macmillan

Erector sets and wooden blocks
Dominoes and house of cards
Built way up to be knocked down
Scattered all across the ground
Model cars and airplane kits
Making sure each piece will fit
Snapped together without glue
Just to fall apart on you
Puzzles without all the pieces
Will not work and it decreases
The fun and joy of finishing
A picture without it's full scene
All these things can fall apart
Or not be finished from the start
Like a love without the trust
Which is a necessary must
So it doesn't break and tremble
And you have to reassemble
Two hearts with a solid glue
So it doesn't fall on you
From a height that is too high
To complete---you let it die
From a lack of love and care
Broken too much for repair

Sometimes I just go crazy
Trying to give my kid his medicine
You have to be some kind of genius
You know, like Thomas Edison?
And I've tried almost everything
From the airplane to the train
But he always sees it coming
And the teardrops fall like rain
I try to tell him, "It's good for you"
He just tightens his lips and grunts
Or knocks the spoon out of my hand
Just another of his crazy stunts
Now my kid is only four years old
And when I tell him it will make him better
He says, "Have your people call my people,
And print it in the form of a letter"
And Mary Poppins lied to us all
When she told us what to do
"A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down"
Well, that just simply isn't true

You knew you were going to die. 1
And yet you came, thinking no matter how insane,
the man on the seat of power would never want you dead
… it would be too much on his head.
And so you came, and there in the brightness of the day
they took your life away, on the tarmac… in broad daylight. 2
I was too young to fully understand, and yet I cried -
The greatest leader we never had, the greatest leader we needed to have … died.
August 21, 1983 was a day of ignominy.
The nation suffered from shamed infamy;
Too many people, not just one witness,
yet not anyone saw, everyone was witless.
The world mocked our country of too little people.
Seemed all we could do was pray on the steeple,
we were hopeless, hopeless…helpless…
Quo vadis, Filipino?
The tide of justice was slow in turning,
even though on the streets, one felt intense mourning.
Peace loving people were silently seething,
faithful and compliant, yet inwardly…defiant.
Seventeen years seemed still not enough,
the man on the throne just couldn’t give up;
With close-knit advisers, and media sanitizers -
If one contradicts, he sees the gunpoint…with silencers.
What must have you felt the days after you left?
Did you think we were too blind, too mute and deaf?
Took almost three years for us, to finally get our act
I guess we were too set in our ways, too afraid…to react.
What the man in power and his cronies up the tower.
must not have considered… are the new movers and shakers.
There was only so much we could take…
There was only so much we could tolerate…
February 25, 1986 was the day we started to fix 3
the road of our shamed history.
It was the day People Power came to be
the man in power was kicked out from tower
as ordinary citizens , nuns and everyone
faced his armed men aboard the tanks.
People unarmed, just some bottled water,
a few sandwiches and bunches of flowers.
It was the day we looked up the sky,
offered a fervent gratitude to heaven’s door -
and told Ninoy…thank you for believing
“The Filipino is worth dying for”. 4
History Notes:
1. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., then senator and leading opposition leader (to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Philippine dictator who was in power 1965-1986) was advised by the First Lady not to come back from 3-year exile in the USA, as there was a plot to assassinate him. As to whose plot, it was not clarified.
2. Manila International Airport, right after he went out of the airplane. Media took photos from the window.
3. There was so much social unrest, and Cardinal Sin, through the radio and other respected media men, finally appealed to all people to go out and stage a massive peaceful protest with people making human barricade against the tanks in EDSA Avenue, Metro Manila's main thoroughfare. No one was killed. Ninoy's wife Cory Aquino who won the election, took the oath of office. The People Power Revolution, the first of its kind, in the Philippines and in the world, was eventually copied by France and other countries.
4. Ninoy Aquino, in an interview a few minutes before he left the plane to his death.
31 July 2015

There once was a day I would watch every airplane.
Praying you was on it to come take me away.
As a child I wanted you around until the day, you actually came.
The day you came is the day my life forever changed.
I remember as if it was yesterday when you physically violated me.
Mental visions as early as the age of eight, but old enough to vociferate.
Visualizing mental pictures in my mind while I am awake very aware of the improper abuse I take.
Your body on me feels something like an autopsy of a dead body.
While you lay on top of me as you press aggressively on me.
Against my will your force kept me still.
I am trying to understand if you recognize who I am.
I try to say no hoping you can comprehend; I am weakling as you apprehend.
Mentally and physically I became involuntarily your property.
A main character in a horror story, and you were my predatory.
I asked “God why?” as I bare to stare into his eyes.
This is not thee love I seek; all I wanted was my father to love me, but not like this injustice of violation of my rights.
This love is not real; not the love I wished to feel.
As he tries to stick his tongue into my mouth too young to know what this is all about.
I grip my lips painfully tight as he tries to slip his tongue inside.
I close them tighter with all my might, as he whispers, “let me love you right”
I beg him to leave as he pried my legs open with his knees my insides scream “somebody please help me!”
As he whispers how much he loves me I’m praying for God to just kill me.
I rather be dead then a man’s punching bag.
As I lay there my body was dead, and I laid my soul to rest.
I looked around the room and seen the Old Spice on the desk the same fragrance he wore around his neck.
The sun began to rise as he began to close my thighs.
In that moment in time I had made up my mind any man that ever say they love me was just telling lies.
I learned the hard way that love does not kill your inside; love does not take your pride.
A fatherless child I shall forever reside.
Every day that passes that little eight-year-old girl dies slowly inside.
Asking Jesus,” Why permit this?” and he slowly whispers…as I gently whimpers, “faith is the light that guide you through the darkness, my words reflecting as a lamp unto my feet.”
“Walk unto my path I’m here to carry the weak, come into me you are weary and overburdened. I will carry the pain you have obtained.”
“I am your father and you are my child you are never fatherless because I’m always around.”

My white-washed bars surrounded me -
they held me as I slept;
they soothed me when the days were long,
and mother’s blue-eyes wept.
A baby girl, six months or less,
awakened from my sleep -
stood up legs as sure as hope;
as strong as flat is steep.
My hands, my saviors, gripped the rail
so I could peek outside –
the bluest sky I’d ever seen,
As tall as it was wide;
came into view - between the blue,
an airplane gliding by,
its smoky streamer like a flag,
across my memory’s sky...
The memory is a simple one -
a window, sky, and plane -
but in my heart, it's heaven's door
and there it shall remain.
I’ve hung it on my memory’s wall
Between that life and this –
It covers every hole I’ve dug
In sorrow’s vast abyss.
This picture brings the special peace
I knew when I was small –
Where mother’s just beyond the door,
and waiting for my call…
*Inspired by Danielle's Earliest Memory contest. I have blocked out almost every memory
from my childhood, and only a very few gems remain - this is the first. and I will treasure it
always...

It was really a simple thing
Four chains holding a large plank
Suspended from the ceiling
A big blue swing
Summer at its peak
Heat touching 45 degrees
Cousins all crammed up
On a large blue swing
Listening to granny’s stories
The distant fan slowly whirring
Laughing and giggling at nothing
On a large blue swing
Plate in hand my brother would sit at its end
Pretending to drive an airplane
Never knew planes did not have steering
On the large blue swing
Sometimes when no one was around
I’d sit on it with outstretched hands
Barely touching both its ends yet feeling like a queen
On a large blue swing
With my favourite cousin sometimes I’d sit
Munching hot salted peanuts
Pouring out our deepest secrets
On a large blue swing
At noon in granny’s lap I’d lie
And listen to her lullaby
Soon asleep, without a worry in life
On a large blue swing
Like the swing her hopes never ran high
She spoke to me of days gone by
Looking beautiful, despite a toothless smile
On a large blue swing.
Today it is no more there
With grandma it slowly passed away
But memories still remain
On the large blue swing.

My friends come home draped in flags
I pause at the edge of the airplane door
Facing a tunnel leading me to a muffled joy
Strangers tell me I am related to them...
I deny a woman with three kids... her kiss
My friends are slipping in trucks with flags
They are loaded and back doors explode shut...
..............................................................
I wake up in a trench of blood and clean pillows
The same woman from the airport next to me
Peacefully breathing...and I thought she was dead...
I think I am finally home, fans are not propellers
Camouflage doesn't bear swing sets in backyards
My friends' helmets, guns and boots line up in my head
Patrolling with weapons made of aluminum foil
-------------------------------------------------
There is too much silence for a dead soldier walking...
I think I FEEL the kiss of the woman with three kids ...

Ross still rides his Harley, if the weather's good.
Can't get away much, like he used to.
Thursday morning breakfast with the airplane guys,
Talking farm prices;
what the dog's been doing.
He can't stay long; she can't be alone.
"She's been fading lately.
Sixty years together and she doesn't know
who I am sometimes."
But the dog does.
He'll leave early, be home to fix her breakfast
when she wakes. She'll not be appreciative.
Doesn't think about the cost anymore,
to bent, arthritic body parts.
Sometimes she won't eat what he prepares.
But the dog will.
Ross doesn't hear the banter;
he's staring through his oatmeal bowl,
counting fearful minutes.
"How's Buddy," I ask?
Ross comes slowly back, eyes refocused.
He smiles.
"I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for that dog."

The city is a milky, oval opal
cradled between the mountains' breasts;
from my airplane window I view her misty shoulders,
her features masked by darkness,
quiet in midnight sleepiness.
From my perspective she lies in peaceful slumber,
but what do shadowy vapors hide?
We descend; closer,
the pricks of light stab more sharply
until I can discern the gleaming blood flowing,
shimmering rivers pulsing through the streets.
This flight will end below
where you are waiting in brightly lit airport;
people rush upon their ways
to other highways twisting through the sky.
We will find an all night cafe,
sit across from one another
and wish our own heart fog would dissipate.
Copyright, August 13, 2015

Verses in italics by Jesse Whitehead
Verses in normal font by Timothy Hicks
birds in tuxedos
marching through snow
stifled laughter
a pair of short legs
behind the coats
patient as molasses
a surprise in waiting
tiny curled toes
it slipped through the claws
of a brown pelican
sharp as eggshells
words on deaf ears
nary a shrug
the stillness of earth
before receiving the rain
howling wolf
warm tears in the sky
silent moon
atop the pine-wood mantel
the treasured baseball
smoldering campfire
toasted marshmallows
precious longing
she pulls a Jurassic Park
turning on the gramophone
September sun
the wheels on the bus
through leaves and leaves
last stop
says the cattle driver
despite the breadth of these plains
my heart doesn't stray
chilly breath
beating drums
penny tossed to the curve
change of scenery
branches replacing winter
with wisteria
ladybugs gliding
through purple haze
hitting
the teacher's back instead
paper airplane
vapor trails
across the pale fields
did you see that one?
catching only the coattails
of a summer star
but alas
penguins cannot fly

In the dream world I love to go and fly
No matter what I do, I still go high
During the day I go in an airplane
Up in the air I go weirdly insane
I dream of an orange sky floating there
With purple clouds moving along somewhere
In the daylight hours the sky is a blue
It has clouds in quite a lovely white hue
The city streets are amassed with people
The dream contains so many parts feeble
The fields of concrete are opened to cars
Where in the evening you can’t see the stars
Zombies run around looking for some blood
In my dream I run avoiding the flood
There are many stores on the wide sidewalks
My days are made up with shopping and talks
The poles in my dream are purple with eyes
Nowhere I go do I ever despise
There are many wires going from each pole
In the daylight the sight is from the soul
Dreams are cloudy and certainly unreal
But the day is clear, real, and has appeal

Look up to the sky
Look up in the sky and what do you see?
Is it an airplane flying by me?
Look up to the sky what do you see?
Is it the sun shinning down on me?
Look up to the sky what do you see.
The moon is smiling down on you.
Look up to the sky what do you see.
The rain coming down on you and me.
Don't look now to the sky for birds are above.
And you don't know what will come down.

Segun my child! My son!
Soon, the **** will crow at dawn
And the east will showcase the sun
Soon, you will leave my home,
To found your own
With words of wisdom, you won’t be alone.
Like a mini-skirt, advice is too short
But it covers the body’s vital lot.
Hear me.
Your brother is not your friend,
He is another you, but independent
So your love for one another, allow no dent
For the sons of men…
Every journey far destination brings
Nature presents a transport means
The snow has the snow dogs
The desert has the camels
The long distant road has the horse
Even technology came to aid us
For the road, we have the cars
For the seas and ocean, the ship
For the rail, the train
The sky has the airplane
All, to lead us through our destiny lane
That is it with man’s life and the battle in it
For whatever fate comes to us, so be it
As the future hungers like a wild beast
Likewise on it, your eyes be firmly fixed
Take a deep breath my child, and learn this
Every master was once an apprentice
Be it the prophets or the dentists
Fate is most times very unfair
Be not defeated by the things you saw
For life is more like war
And all is fair in love and war.
But whatever life’s battle you face
Nature will surely with remedy surface.
When you fall or fail
Don’t ceaselessly wail
Inhale…count to ten, and then exhale
Turn stumbling block to stepping stone,
So the builders reject, will be chief cornerstone
Two Demi-gods are on man’s destiny entrance
Their names, Consistency and Perseverance
Segun, to them, you must bow
No matter what, no matter how
On their feet, bring your head down
I know my son, I know,
That adventure is the blood of the youths
But by rushing the moment, the petals are bruised
So, calmly assimilate my child, calm study
For so, Apostle Paul admonished Timothy
Never be the first to hate
But to forgive, be the first and be in haste
My son, all humans can’t love you
If they all do, then they want to kill you
Likewise, all humans can’t hate you
If they all do, then they want the best for you
What people suffer to get, yet you so easily get
That you must never despise
For it is your miracle in disguise
For the sons of men,
Me, myself and I comes first
Don’t follow that context
If you find the opportunity to rule
My son, take the alternative to lead
For where rulers doom, leaders bloom
When fortune knocks on your door,
Be quick to offer him a sit
Use your wisdom and condor
To keep him and give him no exit

The sky was blue--no clouds at all.
Just the empty palette of a day past.
And --like the lightening, an airplane struck the sky
Big and Brave
and in a flash, it was gone.
Leaving behind the most brilliant stream of orange cloud
Creamy and Coiffed--elaborated tapestries of the sunlight's sweetness
That day I found a dreamsicle in the sky.

Of a child growing up without a father
And the love and nurture of a mother
The struggle for food on less than a dollar
In a world of abundance poverty still a ruler
Dried up wells and contaminated streams
Life on the brink in a desert of dreams
Knowledge like water, how rare for some
Education and schools taboo (Boko Haram)
Remember to pray my son, mother said to me
There’s so much evil, airplane crashes and terrorism
And Islam and the perversion of this religion
The focus and fear drives us from being Christian
Remember to call on God the only true referee
The one who can guide us to unity and victory
He seeks neither an election nor a campaign
Forget His love we remember only hatred and pain

We’ve recently been to Malta and had an incredible time
I met Paul, Charma and Victor. Meeting soupers was divine!
The memories I have of our time together
Will stay with me forever and ever
In Malta there is so much to do, so many places to explore
It was our fourth consecutive visit … Malta holidays I adore!
Soon the time came for us to say goodbye
And home in the airplane we’d have to fly
I climbed on board the airplane (I’ll try to be discrete)
But the man sitting next to me was also taking up MY seat
I couldn’t put the arm rest down it was covered by his back
He needed a seat belt extension to give him a bit of slack
Fortunately I’m petite and don’t take up too much room
I wasn’t squashed for too long .. the pilot sure went zoom!
11~02~16

we sat, my brother and I
leaning against the old wood pannels of the room
the smoke engulfed us like breath
as the threat of violence loomed
his voice was quiet still
passion and regret burned in his eyes
when he finally opened his mouth
words failed him for the first time
he'd been our uncle for ages
a part of our lives since we were kids
my mother used to say he was funny once
but that the war had changed him
finally he spoke in slow motion
we waited on tenterhooks for every word
our breath bound by more than smoke
as he let his story unfurl
leaning back in his chair
the words crawled from his lips
a voice beat to a pulp
by his whiskey and cigarettes
he talked of the sceneary
the forrests thicker than amber
the "nats" as he called them
clung to your skin like a cancer
He was only 19 then
fresh off the farm he'd always worked on
fired his first gun at basic training
his drill sargeant told him that they were now one
his words formed snakes
that coiled around my brother and i
and when his words got soft and slow
he simply took a drag and closed his eyes
he described in details
much more than any kids should know
details about basic training
and the washouts that walked skid row
he turned twenty the day before
he hopped on his first airplane
while he and others got sick
the music on the stereo played
he skipped some parts
the walking, the girls, the mundane acts
instead he talked about his friend
how they were like brothers, just like me and Jack
His boots destroyed his feet
his clothes permanently soaked to bone
he laughed with gravel in his voice
as he talked about missing home
Dean was the name
of his friend, his brother in arms
he was from Alabama
with a southern accent, rich and strong
They would talk about girls
who they had waiting in bed
nights spent on watch
guns, "nats" and hushed conversation between them
My uncle talked in clicks
spoke of companies and Charlies
his hands shook with a violence
that was only matched by his memory
Jack and I sat stone still
hanging on to every word and deep breath
knees tucked up to our chins
shaking from the excitement of what would come next
we were so young then
and knew nothing of battle, war, or loss
the term post tramatic stress disorder
was foreign to all and did nothing to help us
he leaned close so to whisper
because his natural, deep voice failed him
sweat clung to his shirt now
as his fingers held a cigarette that bounced from the trembling
The sun had made it's decent
the room was now filled with shadows
our uncle clutched his crucifix
his hand turned white from the hallow
he slowly set the scene
tilting his head back as he exhaled deeply
the Binh Duong Province, October 17th
Innocence was lost entirely on that morning
The television and papers screamed
calling it the battle of Ong Thahn
my uncle called it a waste of lives
the army called them the 2nd battalion
64 died in 2 hours
Dean, my uncles rock among them
as he spoke those words he sobbed
some of his best friends were now dead
he told us about the war
his two tours he barely lived through
talked to us about mortars, and friendly fire
and of how the scenery was so beautiful
He cussed lowly in his whispers
dried tears covered his face
He told us he never felt truly alive
after he left that god forsaken place
in the end it was the war
the war that tore him apart
dirt poor and a drunk
with a empty and violent heart
our uncle, the fun one once
divorced of our aunt and his innocence
might've as well died over there,
but life doesn't offer forgiveness
he ended up a cliche
the guy who was "really there man"
he came home fully intact
but was half the man he'd been

looking at the sky so blue, white distorted clouds,
all alone, nice and peaceful away from the crowds,
enjoying the silence, not being bothered, clouds rarely moving,
A gentle breeze pushing them on, cool and soothing,
swallows and swifts, darting around catching flies,
sharp shrill echoes through the air of babies cries,
clouds changing as they move along, changing shape,
hanging from the sky like a soft comforting drape,
clouds create pictures So easy upon the eye,
faces of loved ones lost, makes you want to cry,
I look through the branches of the trees,
sound of rustling leaves and humming of bumble bees,
calming effect of the warmth from the suns rays,
feeling contentment, carefree, a world without dismays,
the sound of a fountain, water falling in a pond,
no stress, no disasters, no urgency for me to respond,
gnats dancing in the air, they are very erratic in flight,
little silhouettes against the sky, to watch a real delight,
then a vapour trail from an airplane appears across the skies,
like a grey stain, on a blue cloth, then fades and dies,
a flock of white doves start flying around, what joy they bring,
like heavens white angels so graceful on the wing,
the yap of a dog in the distance can be heard,
yet the feeling of happiness can not be deterred,
wonders of nature not having to compete,
plenty of everything food and water to drink and eat,
wish it could be summer every day of my life,
a world in harmony, peaceful, no confrontation, no strife.
so as this summers day comes to an end and evening in nigh,
to that beautiful blue sky we say goodbye,
we wish for the same another summers day tomorrow,
a day like today, a day without any sorrow.
24/05/2017

...inspired by 'Cul-De-Sac' by Allen Tate
The golden sheen had turned to rust,
the laughter to a pile of rags,
the joy to ghostly lamentations,
how the weighted second drags.
Blind and deaf to consecration,
weak the beatings of the heart,
barren now what once was fertile,
love's become a dying art.
The chasm of their lives together
broadens with each passing day,
echoes barely audible
now rattle in a death-mask play.
He spends his time in retrospection,
trying to ignite the flame,
all the tinder is but ashes,
all their tenderness a game.
Passing in the hallway, they will
glance away in silent grief,
post-it notes and conversations
miss their mark, the practised thief.
He concerns himself with models,
crafting planes no one will see,
for an unborn son or daughter,
generations not to be.
Would a child have made a difference?
(would that he were strong and able),
tiny sneakers, matching socks,
another place to set at table.
Living with an empty feeling,
she tries not to blame or doubt,
busies with the darning, dusting,
looking for a quick way out.
Finances keep them together,
stocks and bonds, annuities,
the only glue that holds the airplane,
slim and thin prosperities.
Fifty years, and inching slowly,
they will not be One with God,
separate, they make arrangements,
he cremated, she to sod.
There was happiness and laughter,
lo, those many years ago,
back before they wanted children,
the physician told them no.
They are dead and gone, I'll warrant,
separate, and in repose,
Heaven opened, they crossed inward,
What they said? God only knows.

Ancient Aliens
They have always been here
ancient? – alien?
living amongst the unknowing
hiding in plain sight.
How have they altered
our past? – our future?
advanced or hindered
our progress – our failure.
How have they touched us
with an unseen nudge,
aligned the stars
that we might follow
crumbs of reason,
sat with us in silence
awed by our insolence
humbled by our fervor.
They view us from a distance-
time and space overlapped
knowledge and inexperience
in conflict with themselves.
Knowing that in time
experience becomes
the proving ground of knowledge,
knowledge the anvil
shaping the experience.
They are the flat rock skippers,
the kite flyers, paper airplane makers,
sidewalk chalk drawers,
mud pie makers, frog catchers,
butterfly chasers, bug touchers,
flower sniffers, feather collectors.
They will always be here
ancient – alien
wiser than their years
greater than their fears
in forever’s - ancient moment
alien – in human form.
1/6/2018
submitted to – Ancient Aliens – Poetry contest

I stood high on top a dune
and made a paper airplane,
with a love note just for you.
I waited for a breeze
and tossed it toward the sea.
If the Wright Brothers could soar from on these shores
then my note should carry all the way to your front door.

...inspired by 'Cul-De-Sac' by Allen Tate
The golden sheen had turned to rust,
the laughter to a pile of rags,
the joy to ghostly lamentations,
how the weighted second drags.
Blind and deaf to consecration,
weak the beatings of the heart,
barren now what once was fertile,
love's become a dying art.
The chasm of their lives together
broadens with each passing day,
echoes barely audible
now rattle in a death-mask play.
He spends his time in retrospection,
trying to ignite the flame,
all the tinder is but ashes,
all their tenderness a game.
Passing in the hallway, they will
glance away in silent grief,
post-it notes and conversations
miss their mark, the practised thief.
He concerns himself with models,
crafting planes no one will see,
for an unborn son or daughter,
generations not to be.
Would a child have made a difference?
(would that he were strong and able),
tiny sneakers, matching socks,
another place to set at table.
Living with an empty feeling,
she tries not to blame or doubt,
busies with the darning, dusting,
looking for a quick way out.
Finances keep them together,
stocks and bonds, annuities,
the only glue that holds the airplane,
slim and thin prosperities.
Fifty years, and inching slowly,
they will not be One with God,
separate, they make arrangements,
he cremated, she to sod.
There was happiness and laughter,
lo, those many years ago,
back before they wanted children,
the physician told them no.
They are dead and gone, I'll warrant,
separate, and in repose,
Heaven opened, they crossed inward,
What they said? God only knows.